A US man was taken in by nuns as a baby. After a DNA test, he now has an Irish passport

Louis Mian, CNN

(CNN) — John Portmann, a professor of belief studies astatine nan University of Virginia, was calved arsenic Thomas James Delehanty – a truth he didn’t cognize until a fewer years ago.

He besides didn’t cognize his mother’s sanction was Therese and his begetter was called Thomas. Nor was he alert that some were Irish.

Portmann was calved successful Arizona successful 1963. “My pregnant mother was successful trouble,” Portmann says, recounting what he now knows.

Therese “somehow sewage herself from Minneapolis to Phoenix” wherever she met nan Sisters of Mercy nuns, a belief bid agelong connected pinch assisting unwed pregnant women, who recovered her a room successful nan location of a Catholic aesculapian doctor.

“She seems to person been happy and well-treated,” according to Portmann, but 3 days aft giving commencement – arsenic per nan Sisters of Mercy’s rules – she relinquished her baby. Around a period later, she appears to person travelled backmost to Minneapolis, wherever she carried connected her life arsenic before.

Therese’s babe was cared for by nan nuns for astir 5 aliases six weeks, earlier being adopted. The babe called Thomas James Delehanty astatine commencement was named John Edward Portmann by his adoptive parents, who were incapable to person children of their own.

Portmann was told from an early property that he had been adopted. However, it was only erstwhile he sewage a DNA trial consequence backmost successful August 2019 that he recovered retired immoderate specifications of his ancestry.

“When I sewage nan consequence I had nary thought what it meant,” Portmann says. “They conscionable springiness you a bunch of numbers and you request a trained master to construe them for you.”

“The 1 statement I did understand, and it was astatine nan apical of nan missive, was that I americium 100% Irish. I didn’t moreover cognize I was 1% Irish.”

DNA detective

Portmann was told by a friend that he should interaction a “DNA detective” – a backstage interrogator who helps place people’s chartless fathers and mothers.

Jennifer Harris, an English professor astatine Canada’s University of Waterloo, who acts arsenic a DNA detective successful her spare time, offered to thief aft she saw Portmann had posted a petition for assistance connected nan Facebook group, “DNA Detectives.”

“It took her a batch of time. She spent astir 8 aliases 9 days moving very difficult and she recovered my mother and father,” Portmann says.

Harris has helped hundreds of group find retired who their biologic parents are and likens nan process to world research.

“I’m a lit clever clever who digs successful nan archives, uncovering mislaid humanities subjects and bringing them backmost to life,” she says. “My world investigation overlaps pinch my DNA detective activity successful nan abstraction of nan archives.”

At first Harris utilized DNA databases, connected websites specified arsenic “Ancestry” and “23andMe,” to find group pinch familial matches to Portmann, which she divided into nan maternal and paternal sides. She past investigated successful nan archives – looking done obituaries, census documents and aged newspapers – to find wherever personification from 1 broadside of nan family bumped into personification from nan different broadside agelong capable for a kid to beryllium born.

According to Harris, it was “fairly easy” for her to find John’s maternal ancestry, arsenic location was a beardown lucifer to a family successful Minneapolis and she was gradually capable to constrictive down nan siblings to place Therese.

However, she was only capable to find 1 paternal DNA lucifer for John successful nan United States. “I managed to build retired a family character utilizing his name; it was a matter of digging into everything I could successful their family history,” she says.

Harris examined nan migration records of nan person’s ancestors to spot whether immoderate had travelled from Ireland to nan US. She recovered a manifest, listing nan cargo, passengers and unit of a vessel travelling to America, which listed a Thomas FitzGerald connected board.

The DNA Detective recovered that Thomas FitzGerald went to Minneapolis, which “was not nan accustomed destination for Irish immigrants.”

“Then I was capable to find a newspaper article that placed him again successful Minneapolis astatine nan clip that John would person been conceived,” Harris explains, adding that it “became rather clear John’s begetter was Thomas FitzGerald.”

Thomas FitzGerald near Dublin to make his luck successful nan US, Portmann says “He had worked successful a luxury edifice successful Dublin, past emigrated astatine property 25 to nan US. He ended up moving successful a luxury edifice successful Minneapolis (the Radisson); he met my mother astatine nan Radisson bar.”

The hunt for citizenship

Portmann contacted nan Irish embassy successful Washington DC to spot if he could get Irish citizenship, fixed some his biologic parents were from nan country. He said he was told by an charismatic that “there was nary way forward,” arsenic his grounds was deemed insufficient, news he described arsenic “devastating.”

He contacted a lawyer, who told him that successful truth location mightiness beryllium a measurement to progress, but it would require going to tribunal for a “declaration of paternity” to legally admit his biologic parents.

“The judge had to determine whether aliases not to assistance nan ‘declaration of paternity’ and relied very heavy connected nan grounds from Harris; that really swayed nan day,” Portmann says.

The judge was convinced and ruled successful his favor. “I had this ineligible archive from Arizona, but Ireland was nether nary responsibility to see it,” says Portmann.

He sent nan “declaration of paternity” to nan Irish embassy, who said it would request to spell to nan country’s authorities for consideration, according to Portmann. “So, I sent it disconnected to Dublin and I had to hold a year.”

When he heard backmost from nan Irish government, Portmann said they requested he do different DNA test, successful an Irish embassy aliases consulate and pinch personification from his father’s broadside of nan family.

“I had trouble securing practice from 1 of my biologic half-sisters,” Portmann said, adding that he was truthful near successful limbo.

But 1 time successful August 2022, he heard from an charismatic astatine Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs that they had decided to judge his citizenship application. “It was a really joyous day,” says Portmann.

His passport was sent to nan Irish embassy successful Washington DC. According to Portmann, 2 of nan embassy’s staff, whom he had travel to know, sent him a image of them smiling, while holding nan passport, telling him that he had made it crossed nan decorativeness line.

A mates of days later, his caller passport came done nan post. “I want to convey nan Irish government,” Portmann says. “I’m very, very grateful to Ireland.”

He has now met his biologic mother’s broadside of nan family. Therese, who died successful 2019 (the aforesaid twelvemonth her boy first sewage a DNA test), joined a widower pinch 5 daughters, who is still alive. Her husband’s children each adored their stepmother, according to Portmann.

Portmann says his mother’s hubby was alert she had a kid successful Arizona and told him she had carried a photograph of her babe pinch her passim her life.

Portmann besides recovered retired that 3 of Therese’s 5 brothers were assemblage professors. They were “quite surprised” erstwhile they recovered retired he excessively was a professor, Portmann says.

Setting a precedent

Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs said that while they do not remark connected individual cases, others person besides “submitted DNA grounds arsenic portion of their passport application.”

“Additional documentary grounds is besides required earlier a determination to rumor a passport is made,” nan Department of Foreign Affairs said. “Such applications require sizeable engagement pinch nan applicant to guarantee that nan Passport Service is afloat satisfied nan applicant has demonstrated their entitlement to Irish citizenship.”

Portmann hopes his communicative will show adoptees they person a way to ineligible nickname of their ancestry: “I want to animate different adoptees to their law correct to citizenship.”

He added that “the really sad point is mediocre group can’t spend a lawyer to conflict for them,” stymieing their entree to citizenship.

“I deliberation John’s lawsuit is really important successful position of nan precedent it sets for group who are adoptees,” Harris explains. “The measurement I spot it is that John is claiming authorities that are often denied to adoptees.”

“Adoption doesn’t sever affectional ties and questions of belonging. It doesn’t sever identity. It complicates it successful immoderate ways.”

“The authorities of adoptees are truthful important and historically we person pretended they don’t exist,” Harris said, adding: “I deliberation they do person a claim; it’s portion of our quality desire to cognize who we are and what our origins are.”